Ivy
History Ivy formed in 1992 when Spencer Harrison sought some additional musicians to play a batch of songs she had written for her previous band, which split before gigging. She was joined by brothers Paul (ex-Shine!) and Julian Cator on guitars, and later by Justin Rolph on bass. After failing to recruit a suitable drummer they decided to continue to use their Cheetah drum machine, and played their first gig at Norwich Arts Centre on April 26 1993, supporting the Bardots. Their first release was the track "Wish You Would" on the Noisebox compilation 12" Backwater One, released in autumn 1993. The song was immediately picked up by Radio 1, getting played on both the Evening Session and the John Peel show, and an Ivy session recorded at Radio 1's Maida Vale studios was broadcast on the Evening Session in January 1994. Drum programming from now on was taken over by Noisebox boss Pete Morgan. Ivy signed with Sarah Records in early 1994 and released 2 singles on the label, the pop-punk classic "Avenge" and a re-recorded version of "Wish You Would". B-sides included the live favourite "Nowhere To Mourn". Both singles sold out almost immediately and are now regarded as highly collectable. The swansong of the drum-machine line-up was a national tour in October 1994 as support to the Wedding Present. David Donley joined as drummer immediately after the end of the Wedding Present tour as part of a move towards a more dynamic sound. Sarah Records had now folded and the band returned to Noisebox for their next 2 releases, both released during 1995. The single "How Do You Know It's For Real" and compilation track "Unmindful Of The Night" (from the "Now That's What I Call Noisebox" CD) demonstrated the two extremes of their new direction. Spanish label Elefant also released a limited edition 7" of "Bones". Ivy spent the remainder of 1995 writing and recording songs for their forthcoming debut album and consolidating their reputation as possibly the most exciting live band in Norwich at the time. However, by early 1996 it was obvious that the diverse music influences which had given the band its unique sound were now pushing the members in irreconcilable directions and making the writing of new material impossible. It was decided that the band would split following the release and promotion of their album. "In The Absence Of Angels" was finally released and Ivy played their last gig at Norwich Arts Centre, on September 30 1996. Spence, Paul and Julian later regrouped as , with Tim (also ex-Shine!) on bass and the trusty Cheetah drum-machine. They released one single, "Three Words/Never Known" on Noisebox, and gigged sporadically during 1997 and 1998. Spence left the band in 1998 and the others continued for a while with a new singer, Beccy Brown, before finally calling it a day in 2001. The band did reform briefly with a new bass player Jenni Maxwell, and played two very successful shows at Norwich Arts Centre in 2006 & again in 2007. Personnel 1992 Spence Harrison - Vocals Paul Cator - Guitar Julian Cator - Guitar Justin Rolph - Bass 1995 Spence Harrison - Vocals Paul Cator - Guitar Julian Cator - Guitar Justin Rolph - Bass David Donley - Drums 2006 Spence Fischer-Harrison - Vocals Paul Cator - Guitar David Donley - Drums Jenni Maxwell - Bass Discography tba category:Band